By MIKE SMITH​While the vast majority of Mid-American Conference teams head into conference play this weekend, UMass has one more conference opponent to tackle before heading into its final MAC slate.

The Florida International Golden Panthers will be the third straight "brand new" (as in never previously played) opponent for the Minutemen. FIU brings a 2-2 overall record (0-1 Conference-USA East) into Saturday's 3 p.m. contest at McGuirk Stadium in Amherst.

Cleveland, Ohio – The Mid-American Conference (MAC) announced Monday a new regional multi-year television agreement with the Buckeye Cable Sports Network (BCSN) to produce and televise MAC football, men’s and women’s basketball and multiple championship events beginning this 2015-16 academic year through a sublicense agreement with ESPN.(CLICK READ MORE TO CONTINUE . . . )

The Ohio Bobcats brought an unblemished 3-0 record to Minneapolis Saturday. For much of the game, it looked as though they might leave with an unblemished 4-0 mark.​Ohio bumped its fourth quarter lead to 24-20 on a Josiah Yazdani 41-yard field goal with 2:36 remaining. Minnesota, however, responded with a 78-yard drive that culminated in a Shannon Brooks three-yard TD run with 30 seconds remaining. That proved to be the difference in a 27-24 Golden Gophers victory. (CLICK READ MORE TO CONTINUE . . )

BUFFALO, NY – The Nevada Wolfpack took the lead for good with two first quarter touchdowns and used three Buffalo turnovers to hold off the Bulls for a 24-21 victory Saturday. The hosts owned a 487-379 advantage in total offense and registered eight more first downs (23-18). UB quarterback Joe Licata threw two touchdowns while completing 28 of 46 for 338 yards, but he also tossed two interceptions and the Bulls also had one fumble on the day.Jordan Johnson (13/79) and Anthone Taylor (16/68) combined for 147 of Buffalo’s 149 rushing yards. (CLICK READ MORE TO CONTINUE . . . )

EVANSTON, Ill. – The Ball State Cardinals had their chances Saturday night at No. 17 Northwestern, but in the end the Wildcats were able to hold off the visiting Cardinals, 24-19.

The Cardinals (2-2) were in search of their third win over a Big Ten squad in five years under head coach Pete Lembo and first win over a nationally-ranked team in nearly three years.​“It was one of those nights where you felt really good about the effort and how we competed, but at the end of the day to beat a quality team like this you have to play an extremely clean football game,” head coach Pete Lembo said.(CLICK READ MORE TO CONTINUE . . . )

NOTRE DAME, Ind. - Massachusetts freshman running back Marquis Young ran for 103 yards on only five carries, but it was not enough for the Minutemen as UMass faltered at No. 6 Notre Dame, 62-27, Saturday afternoon.

With Young leading the way, the Maroon and White ground attack averaged 5.1 yards per attempt on 29 rushes for 148 yards rushing. The passing game added 302 yards for a total offense output of 450 yards.Notre Dame, meanwhile, had 457 yards rushing and another 224 passing for a total of 681 yards. ​"We didn't tackle very well," head coach Mark Whipple said. "We didn't have quite the energy that we had last week, but I credit Notre Dame."(CLICK READ MORE TO CONTINUE . . . )

Toledo, OH - Playing without injured star running back Kareem Hunt, the Toledo Rockets used a stifling defense to defeat Arkansas State, 37-7, before 21,385 fans at the Glass Bowl on Saturday.Hunt sat out the contest due to a hamstring injury suffered in Toledo's victory over Iowa State last week. He rushed for a career-high 271 yards and five touchdowns the last time UT faced the Red Wolves, a 63-44 victory in last January's GoDaddy Bowl. But the Rockets did not need Hunt this time, as their defense dominated the game.(CLICK READ MORE TO CONTINUE . . . )

​YPSILANTI, MI -- Hosting Eastern Michigan closed to within six points late in the third quarter before Army scored 21 straight points on the way to a 58-36 Black Knights win over EMU Saturday at Rynearson stadium.

It was the first true road win for Army since 2010 and moved the Black Knights to 1-3 on the season after dropping their first three games by a total of 10 points. Eastern Michigan, which struggled against Army's option, fell to 1-3.

The Black Knights' jumped out to an early 22-3 lead, and that proved to be too much to overcome for the Eagles.

The Central Michigan football team was penalized nine times for 70 yards Saturday in its 30-10 loss at No. 2-ranked Michigan State.

While penalties always hurt, several were particularly stinging for the Chippewas early in the game when they had the opportunity to put points on the board and seize some momentum.

CMU drove into the red zone on its first two possessions of the game, only to come away empty both times. And on both occasions, the Chippewas took false-start penalties on fourth down that added five yards to Brian Eavey field goal attempts. Both attempts – the first from 45 yards, the second from 43 – were blocked.

Publisher﻿

Mike Smith saw his first MAC footb﻿a﻿ll action as a nine-year-old while hanging onto the flagpole of a nearby baseball stadium. The view got better after he discovered he could get in free at halftime. Decades later, he can usually be found either on press row or along the sidelines.Mike has won awards for both his stories and pictures during his time in journalism. Combining his own skills with those of other writers and photographers, along with conference and school resources, he constantly works to provide an enjoyable MAC product.

ATTENTION WRITERS!MAC Reporter Online is seeking contributors for coverage at a number of Mid-American Conference schools.Several “levels” of participation are available for writers or photographers. For further information, contact Mike at: mro24mike@gmail.com.